In North Carolina, you are an armed security guard if you’re employed by a contract security company or a proprietary security organization and your principal duty is that of an armed security watchman; armed armored car service guard; armed alarm system company responder; or armed courier service and you at any time wear, carry, or possess a firearm in the performance of your duty.

Armed Security Guard Training Requirements & Fees

North Carolina requires that you take 20 hours of training to become an armed security guard.

GARD Pro Not Registered

Security Guard Courses before You Apply for a Security Guard Registration: 20 hours with cost set by training school; $ unknown.

All your armed security guard training must been under a certified trainer.

All your armed guard courses must be successfully completed no more than 90 days prior to the date of issuance of the armed security guard firearm registration permit.

North Carolina State Armed Security Guard Training Course Outline

To apply to become an armed security guard firearm registration permit, you first need to complete the basic unarmed security guard training classroom course that is at least 20 hours including:

4 hours – legal limitations on the use of handguns and on the powers and authority of an armed security guard, including familiarity with rules and regulations relating to armed security guards

1 hour – handgun safety, including range firing procedures

3 hours – handgun operation and maintenance

8 hours – handgun fundamentals

4 hours – night firing

You should take the in classroom security guard training topics before firing on the range.

Range Qualification

To apply for an armed security guard firearm registration permit, you must get a score of at least 80% accuracy on a firearms range qualification course adopted by the PSS Board and the Attorney General, a copy of which is on file in the PSSB Director’s office. If you fail to attain a score of 80% accuracy, you get an additional 3 attempts to qualify on the course of fire you failed. Failure to meet the qualification after 3 attempts requires you to repeat the entire Basic Training Course for Armed Security Guards. All additional attempts must take place within 20 days of the completion of the initial 20 hour course.

You have to take your armed guard training using your duty weapon and duty ammunition or ballistic equivalent ammunition, to include lead-free ammunition that meets the same point of aim, point of impact, and felt recoil of the duty ammunition, for all weapons.

Your armed guard class can’t have any more than 6 new or renewal armed security guard applicants per one instructor placed on the firing line at any one time during firearms range training.

Shotgun Qualification

To be authorized to carry a 12 gauge shotgun in the performance of your duties as an armed security guard, you must complete, in addition to the requirements above, the following 4 hours of classroom training:

Legal limitations on the use of shotguns

Shotgun safety, including range firing procedures

Shotgun operation and maintenance

Shotgun fundamentals

You can take the additional shotgun training at a time after your initial training. If the shotgun training is completed at a later time, your shotgun certification runs concurrent with your armed security registration permit.

You have to get a score of at least 80% accuracy on a shotgun range qualification course.

Security Guard Background Check & Fingerprinting Fees

Fingerprint Fee = $38

Armed Security Guard Application & License Fees

Armed Security Guard Registration Application Fee: $45

Payment Types Accepted: Money order or cashier’s check. Personal checks are not acceptable.

Payable To: Private Protective Services Board

Armed Security Guard Other Requirements

To register as an armed guard in North Carolina, you must:

Be 21 years of age or older.

Be US citizen or resident alien.

Be of good moral character and temperate habits. Any of the following within the last 5 years indicates you don’t have good moral character or temperate habits (conviction means and includes the entry of a pleas of guilty, plea of no contest, or a verdict of guilty):

Conviction by any local, state, federal, or military court of any crime involving the illegal use, carrying, or possession of a firearm.

Conviction of any crime involving the illegal use, possession, sale, manufacture, distribution, or transportation of a controlled substance, drug, narcotic, or alcoholic beverage.

Conviction of a crime involving felonious assault or an act of violence.

Not have been declared by any court of competent jurisdiction incompetent by reason of mental disease or defect; or not have been involuntarily committed to an institution for treatment of mental disease or defect by a district court judge. If you have been treated and found to have been restored by a psychiatrist, the PSS Board will consider this evidence and determine whether you meet the requirements of this section.

Two recent (within last 6 months) color head and shoulders JPEG digital photograph of sufficient quality for identification on CD, floppy disk, or emailed to: PPSASL-Photos@ncdoj.gov (Polaroids and other similar types of photos are not acceptable).

Statements of the result of a local criminal records search by the Clerk of Superior Court or appropriate governmental authority in each county where the applicant has resided within the immediate preceding 48 months (12 months for renewals). Final dispositions must be included. Criminal record checks will not be accepted if over 60 days old upon receipt in this office. Internet criminal records checks are acceptable for in-state residents if obtained from an authorized NC Administrative Office of the Courts Public Access User.

Statements of any criminal records obtained from the appropriate authority in each area where you resided within the immediately preceding 4 years.

Duplicate or Replacement Security Guard Card

Authorized Firearms

As an armed security officers in North Carolina you are authorized while in the performance of your official duties or traveling directly to and from work, to carry a standard .38 caliber, .32 caliber or .357 caliber revolver, or any standard semi-automatic pistol of .354 caliber and higher, or any standard 12 gauge shotgun, as long as the you have been properly trained on your respective duty weapon A “standard weapon” means a weapon which has not been modified or altered from its original manufactured design.

All firearms carried by you as an authorized armed security guards in the performance of your duties must be owned or leased by the employer. Personally owned firearms cannot be carried by you as an armed security guard in the performance of your duties.

Concealed Weapons

Being registered as an armed guard doesn’t permit you to carry a concealed weapons while in performance of your duties regulated by the Private Protective Services Act unless you have complied with all provisions of G.S. 14, Article 54B and applicable rules promulgated by the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission pursuant thereto and have been issued a current concealed handgun permit by a Sheriff. Additionally, you must comply with the concealed firearm provisions for training and qualifications set forth in 12 NCAC 7D .0808(b).

You must to carry a concealed weapon while on duty:

Hold a current Armed Security Guard Registration Permit by complying with all requirements for armed registration as prescribed in 12 NCAC 7D .0800.

Have completed standards set forth by the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission to include knowledge of North Carolina firearms laws including, but not limited to, the limitation on concealed weapon possession on specified grounds and within certain buildings.

Have been issued a concealed firearm endorsement to your current Armed Security Guard Registration Permit for the term of the Armed Security Guard Registration Permit. This endorsement doesn’t cost you any more, but you have to pay for the additional training.

GARD Pro Not Registered

Comments 1

I’m moving to North Carolina in February with my wife from nyc I’ve been in the security field for over 11 years I also have my nyc pistol permit I’m looking to join the armed security field when I relocate. I will appreciate a little information